Lesson 2
KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN
Introduction
The Colonial Period was a harsh phenomenon that compelled an
opportunity for the Filipinos to act in solidarity towards sovereignty. It was the
regime which caused Andres Bonifacio to organize the Katipunan on July 7, 1892.
Obliged by the defunct of Rizal‘s La Liga Filipina and the absence of hope on the
Reform Movement, Bonifacio had to make options in order to achieve the freedom
dreamed by the whole nation.
With the hope of instilling order and respect among its members, the
Katipunan introduced a set of guiding principles and teachings. To its author,
Emilio Jacinto, what was important for its members was the cognizance of
katwiran and kaliwanagan. The existence of the Kartilya proved the correctitude and
adherence of the Filipinos to established principles and their merit for the regard
of humanity.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
3. Explain the need of the Kartilya for the members of the Katipunan.
4. Recognize the relevance of the Kartilya as an ethical-moral guide to
the Filipinos then and now.
The Author and His Background
Ever since, the authorship of the Kartilya has been ascribed to Emilio
Jacinto, the young adviser of Andres Bonifacio and the so-called Brain of the
Katipunan. Due to his brilliance, he rose from the position of fiscal to the rank of a
general in the underground movement. Under the leadership of the Supremo, he
served as intelligence director in the assault made in San Juan del Monte on
August 30, 1896 in order to seize a Spanish garrison in the area. His friendship
with Bonifacio allowed him to naturally provide the latter with weapons and
ammunitions, money, printing materials and artistic creations (Filipinos in
History, 1995).
In spite of his failure to finish a university degree, Emilio Jacinto was a
man of intellect, refinement and literary indulgence. He wrote Liwanag at Dilim
which contained some essays about his political and social philosophies.
Included in this collection were the essays Sa Anak ng Bayan, Ang Ningning at ang
Liwanag, Kalayaan, Ang Tao‘y Magkakapantay, Ang Bayan at ang mga Pinuno and Ang
Maling Pagsampalataya (―Liwanagat Dilim‖, n.d.). In the hills of Majayjay, Laguna
where he set up his secret headquarters, he
contracted malaria which became the cause of his death on April 6, 1899 at the
age of 24 (Filipinos in History, 1995).
Figure 5. Photo of Emilio
Jacinto courtesy of
Ambeth Ocampo.
(Retrieved from
https://
filipiknow.net/philippin
e- history-creepiest-
photos/).
The Kartilya ng Katipunan and its Background
The Kartilya is a primary source which contains the oaths and orders that
the katipuneros had to follow. According to the British scholar Jim Richardson
(2013), the Kartilya was sold at four kualta per copy although it was not clear
whether the members were responsible for the payment or their respective
chapters. Richardson suspects that theKartilya was still used at the time of the
revolution against the United States as evidenced byits version in the Philippine
Insurgent Records, bearing the seal used by General Artemio Ricarte in 1899.
Richardson also relates the story that Emilio Jacinto‘s Kartilya was seen as
superior by Andres Bonifacio who had intended of his Decalogue to be published
and distributed to the new members. The two documents, he posits however, are
different from one another because Jacinto‘s Kartilya expounded aspirations and
moral values while thatof Bonifacio enumerated the duties of the katipuneros.
Richardson also claims that the Kartilya took influence from the declaration
used by the masonic lodges in Manila. Following a declaration which is believed
to have been written in Spain, it resembled certain parts or aspects. The
statement of purpose of the Kartilya, for instance, can be identified as an
imitation from the other, including the ideal on the equality of men and women.
The Kartilya resonated the teaching of discipline, virtue and morals to
individuals who wished to join the secret society. It established a foundation
that would govern the affairs of the Katipunan and its members. Anyone who
violated the teachings would be punished in accordance with the gradation of
the offense.
Below is the copy of the Kartilya (pp. 131-134) taken from Jim Richardson‘s
The Light of Liberty: Documents and Studies on the Katipunan, 1892-1897 published by
the Ateneo de Manila University Press in 2013.
Activity
1. Write a reflection paper on the relevance of the Kartilya ng Katipunan
towards the realization of the nation‘s independence. Your answer
should be stated in three paragraphs of not less than three but not
more than five sentences per paragraph.
2. Choose two of the teachings of the .Katipunan and expound
each in one paragraph by relating personal experiences in life.
References
Andres Bonifacio‘s decalogue and the kartilya ng Katipunan. (n.d.).
Malacañan Palace Presidential Museum and Library. Retrieved from
http://malacanang.gov.ph/ 7013-andres-bonifacios-decalogue-and-
the-kartilya-ng-katipunan.
Filipinos in history (Vol. 1). (1995). Manila: National Historical Institute.
Liwanang at dilim. (n.d.). National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nccaofficial/18260917309.
Only the creepiest photos from Philippine history. (2019). FilipiKnow. Retrieved from
https://filipiknow.net/ philippine-history-creepiest-photos/
Richardson, J. (2013). The light of liberty: Documents and studies on the Katipunan,
1892- 1897. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
Lesson 3
THE DECLARATION OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE
Introduction
After the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, the American naval
squadron in Hongkong was instructed by the secretary of the navy to come to
the Philippines in order to challenge and destroy the Spanish fleet. Commodore
George Dewey, later to become a Rear Admiral, was faced by the Spanish fleet
coming from the direction of Sangley Point in Cavite. Though outnumbered by
the Spanish fleet, the American squadron was able to defeat the poorly armed
Spanish ships and by mid-day, the Spanish fleet would be broughtto a complete
destruction. Eventually, the Spaniards in Cavite hoisted a white flag as a sign of
surrender in the face of humiliating defeat.
Subsequently, Emilio Aguinaldo and his party returned to the Philippines
with the belief that the Americans would help him secure independence from the
Spaniards. With this belief, Aguinaldo and his men were highly spirited. His
forces were able to capture not only places like Imus, Parañaque, Bacood, Las
Piñas, Laguna, Batangas, Tayabas up to as far as Camarines in the South and
San Fernando, Macabebe, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Bataan in the North but also
seized thousands of prisoners (Agoncillo, 1990). With these triumphs against
their former colonizers, Aguinaldo established a dictatorial form of government.
The government would direct the course of the revolution and that governance
should be based on decrees he would issue. With a government that could
enforce obedience from the people, Aguinaldo thought of declaring the country‘s
independence.
Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Analyze and interpret sources by means of critically reading the
Act of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.
2. Understand the key issues concerning the Declaration of
Philippine Independence.
The Declaration of Philippine Independence
Emilio Aguinaldo, who had become the president of the newly established
dictatorial government, planned to proclaim independence in order to inspire his
forces to fight the Spaniards and to lay down the basis through which other
countries would recognize the independence of the country (Agoncillo, 1990).
The proclamation was made on June 12, 1898 in Cavite el Viejo now known as
Kawit. On that day, the prominent leaders of the revolution who gathered in the
house of Aguinaldo, proclaimed independence and conferred upon him
numerous powers in order the direct thoroughly the affairs of the government.
The powers granted on him included the right to issue pardon and amnesty
proclamations and the adoption of an official flag (Cortes, Boncan and Jose,
2005).
The Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino, as the
document is aptly called, was penned and read by Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista
before the presence of thousands of people from the various provinces. The flag
which was made in HongKong was hoisted and waved for the first time and the
music of what would become as the Philippine national anthem was played
likewise for the first time. Julian Felipe, the composer, was instructed that the
anthem should sound like a march and exuberant of triumph, that it should be
expressive of a gratitude for the contributions of Spain in the Philippines, and
that it should symbolize the determination of the country and its love for
freedom (Molina, 1960).
Commodore George Dewey, the commander of the American naval
squadron that crippled the Spanish fleet commanded by Admiral Montojo, was
invited but due to a certain alibi, he failed to grace the inauguration. Of the
ninety-eight people who signed the declaration document was an American
military officer named Colonel L. M. Johnson. (Molina, 1960) Surprisingly,
President Aguinaldo‘s signature was nowhere to be found inthe document
(Ocampo, 2020). Apolinario Mabini, who arrived right before the start of the
inauguration rites and met Aguinaldo for the first time, was not in favor of the
proclamation which he considered
―reckless and premature‖ (para. 6). To Mabini, it would have been better if the
Filipinos gathered more weapons and ammunitions rather than flaunting their
aspiration for independence.
Who is Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista?
According to the book Filipinos in History (1995) by the then National
Historical Institute, Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista, or Don Bosyong as he was
popularly known to many, was born on December 7, 1830 in Biñan, Laguna. He
finished a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Santo Tomas. Among
the legal luminaries who became his contemporaries were Chief Justice
Cayetano Arellano, Chief Justice Florentino Torres and well-known lawyer Rafael
del Pan.
A distant relative of the Rizal family, he served as their first lawyer
concerning the Calamba Hacienda Case. However, he backed out from the case for
fear of being denounced by the Dominican friars, the administrators of the
Hacienda. Later on, the case was taken over by Felipe Buencamino who also
eventually gave it up because Jose Rizal had come up with a different agenda
against the Spaniards (Quibuyen, 2008).
Bautista became an officer of the Rizal-established La Liga Filipina. During
the Philippine Revolution, he was a contributor to the patriotic newspaper La
Independencia. In fact, he was one of the ―most wanted‖ by the Spanish
authorities because of his participation in underground movements. He was
arrested, imprisoned in Fort Santiago, released and, subsequently, given a
general amnesty by Governor General Primo de Rivera in accordance with the
Pact of Biak-na-Bato (Filipinos in History, 1995).
When Aguinaldo had returned from his exile in HongKong in May 1898,
Bautista became one of the first individuals who offered his service. He became
Aguinaldo‘s political adviser. As principal adviser, he convinced Aguinaldo to
constitute a dictatorial regime instead of a constitutional government, arguing
among others that the latter best suited the exigencies of the times. However,
after the proclamation of independence, ApolinarioMabini became the principal
adviser of Aguinaldo (Filipinos in History, 1995).
The Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino
The declaration of Independence became somewhat contentious because
of the absence of Aguinaldo‘s signature and the failure to promulgate or ratify it
instantly thereafter. It is likewise controversial because of certain provisions
which were opposed by Mabini. Read- through the whole text of the English
version made by Sulpicio Guevara, the author of The Laws of the Philippine Republic
(The Laws of Malolos) 1898-1899, for your comprehension and analysis.
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Activity
After reading the Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino,
do this activity by answering the following questions.
A. SOURCING THE DOCUMENT
Questions Responses
1. Is the document/
source a primary
source? Why?
2. Do you think the
author is credible as
far as the document
is concerned?
Why?
3. For whom do you
think the document
was intended? Why
do you think it was
written
B. COMPREHENSION
4. What are the author‘s
main arguments?
5. Give an example of
historical fact
(absolutely
indisputable) that we
learn from this
document.
6. What do you think are
some pieces of
information that
should have not been
included
in the document?
Why do you think so?
C. INTERPRETATION
7. Does the evidence in
this document offer
any information that
you did not know
before? What is this
information?
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8. Does the evidence
support or contradict
anything you have
learned from a book,
textbook or some
other sources? What
might this be?
9. What information
should you counter-
check with other
sources?
10. Does this source
broaden or deepen
your understanding of
its period? How?
References
Agoncillo, T. A. (1990). The history of the Filipino people (8th ed.). Garotech Publishing.
Cortes, R. M., Boncan, C. P., & Jose, R. T. (2000). The Filipino saga:
History as socialchange. Quezon City: New Day Publishers.
Guevara, S. (1972). The laws of the Philippine republic (The laws of Malolos) 1898-1899.
Manila: National Historical Institute.
Molina, A. M. (1960). The Philippines through the centuries (Vols. 1 & 2). UST Cooperative.
Filipinos in history (Vol. 1). (1995). Manila: National Historical Institute. .
Ocampo, A. R. (2020, June 19). Where‘s Aguinaldo‘s signature. Retrieved from https://
opinion.inquirer.net/130929.
Quibuyen, F. C. (2008). A nation aborted: Rizal, American hegemony and
Philippinenationalism. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
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